48 hours and Counting
by Hihana
Summary: “What do you mean? Do you regret sleeping with me or that you ran away?”In this very moment he hated Echizen, for being so casual and blunt about something that made his head hurt since he woke up that cursed morning. EchTez pairing.. R


48 hours and Counting  
  
by Kassatsu Ryu

Genre: Romance, Yaoi   
Rating: R  
Pairing: KunixRyo/RyoxKuni, onesided AtobexTez  
Disclaimer: One of the things I cannot buy on ebay...  
  
Author's notes  
So here is it, my first Prince of Tennis story. After a few complications involving a broken computer and seemingly endless search through the waste of data left behind it's finally posted. Though it was supposed to be a short Oneshot, it became eventually this.. around 35 pages long... I still can't write short stories.. please ignore the spelling and grammatical errors as I don't have a beta reader, except my spelling program..''

It makes me very happy and I would be even more happy, if you like it and leave me a review for it. There are a few more notes, but as I don't want to bore you to death they follow after the main story, but before the small omake that is posted at the end...

Now enjoy _48 hours and counting_...

23 hours and 57 minutes…

With a suppressed sigh Tezuka wretched his eyes away from his watch and returned to watching the game between Kikumaru and Takamura (3:4). He dimly noted, that Takamura's backhand had gotten stronger, as he caught himself checking the time, again.

23 hours and 59 minutes…damn it!

Methodically he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and started to clean his glasses. Never mind, that he had done these five times already in the span of the last sixty minutes. It was maddening, but he couldn't stop himself from glancing at his watch every few minutes.

48 hours and counting…

Scowling he wretched his eyes from the timepiece on his arm, while ignoring the worried glances thrown his way. To his and their luck no one dared to ask him, what was wrong. At least not anymore, the team had caught on pretty quickly, after he had given them his feared _'I'll give you 100 laps'_-glare for questioning him on that particular topic. Luckily for him they seemed to forget most of the time, that he couldn't assign laps, as he wasn't their captain, anymore.

Gone were the times were they leaned against the fences or sat on benches trying to catch their breathing. As for the regulars of this club, he held no illusions. This year they probably wouldn't even make it past the regional games. He, Fuji and Eiji were the only ones to make it into the team. The rest was composed of third years and all of them were, well he wouldn't say abysmal, but pretty close compared to the former Seigaku members, who whipped the court with them, on a regular basis. But no first years were not allowed to play in the team, which ruled out Kaido and Momoshiro. Inui, Oishi and Kawamura hadn't been good enough. At least that was the captain's excuse… Tezuka had to suppress a snort, not good enough… yes, the day pigs started to fly…

"Game, set, match Kikumaru 6:4."

Over already? How much time had passed... no he wouldn't check his watch, then he would be distracted all over again and the team especially the former Seigaku regulars would be even more curious than they already were. Sparing a side glance at the third year, which had been made captain at the beginning of the year, he frowned. The teen's name was Ichimura Kei and Tezuka didn't like him at all. The half-European was cocky and arrogant enough to rival a certain former Hyotei captain, but the catch was, that he didn't have the skills to back aforementioned arrogance up. The brunet was sure that his relation with the principle of Seigaku high school was the only reason he had gotten the position as captain.

Though it wasn't as if he, Tezuka himself, wanted the position as it had very little advantages and much more disadvantages such as schedule planning, supervising practice, being early for morning training, staying behind after afternoon training. Not to mention the goddamned talks with the coach, which were repeated everyday? Though with Ryuzaki-sensei he had never minded them as the old lady had been a very good coach. It was sad that she had retired in his first year of high school.

Tezuka was an honest person by nature and tried always to be true, even with himself and the fact, that he couldn't lie to save his life, which contradicted wonderfully with his usual stoic nature and blank face, was only an additional factor. But it was an established fact, that Ichimura was an idiot and yes he just swore, because it was unavoidable when his mind wove thoughts concerning the teen. The feeling was mutual, but the captain's dislike for him probably came from the fact, that in all of their twelve matches during training, the bespectacled teen had crushed the older one. It hadn't even taken much effort, hell even the very first match he had played against Echizen had been a huge effort against the pitiful performances Ichimura showed.

Argh, dangerous direction… topic change.

The focus of Tezuka's nightmares abruptly appeared before him, chasing any unwanted thoughts away. At least for the moment. With a motion of his blond head the half-European directed him towards court B.

"Fuji, Tezuka, you two are next."

Kunimitsu swallowed the urge to grind his teeth and silently complemented the chances of Ichimura suffering _accidentally_ the unfortunate fate of drinking Inui's new 'Super Deluxe tomato wasabi juice Version 1.01'. If only the coach, a man by the name of Kameni Akira, hadn't forbidden the data man from bringing his experiments with him.

Turning to face his opponent for the day he was met with Fuji's smile as the tensai murmured a silent greeting. Frowning, the hazel eyed teen thought briefly on why he hadn't spoken to Fuji earlier as the both had been in the same history class. Then it hit him and he returned the greeting with one of his own, just that his voice sounded colder than usual.

Of course, the whole mess was Fuji's fault to begin with!

How could he forget that little piece of information?!

He really was a mess and to think that the week had shown all signs of having a good beginning. But then Fuji had to come and ruin everything… though, of course, when the Tennis prodigy wanted entertainment who was he to refuse. He had self-preservation instincts after all.

_It had all started very innocently, the usual way everything started with Fuji; in this particular case a game of Tennis. Again nothing unusual as he enjoyed playing a real game of Tennis after practice or more precise what they were forced to call practice/training. As it was a joke, nothing more. It had even come so far, that his old regulars started to __**ask**__ for Inui's juice or him to __**assign**__ them laps in hopes of getting a real workout._

_They had played for over an hour with neither of them saying anything save the announcements of points and games, most of the time in his favor. It was then, that he noticed Fuji's smile. So Fuji smiling wasn't anything special as he practically did it everyday and almost anytime, but it was the way the corners of the tensai's mouth twitched or how the smile widened almost invisibly that set him on edge._

_By the time he had analyzed the smile, it was one that suggested: I'm about to pounce you; it appeared already too late as the blue eyed teen asked for a break._

_The two of them had sat on the bench each with their bottles drinking in silence. Well, he was ready to abandon the match and run, because Fuji had started humming. Absolutely every alarm bell inside his mind had gone overboard and told him to run. Sadly the warning came too late._

_The tensai had turned his head and now looked at him in __**that **__way. Like a predator about to pounce upon his not so unsuspecting victim. If he had been any other person he would have gulped or paled, but as he was still Tezuka Kunimitsu he merely raised a questioning eyebrow. Fuji's smile only widened, that couldn't be good._

_"Say Tezuka, are you busy coming Tuesday?"_

_No, definitely not good. The last time Fuji had asked a similar question he had spent nearly the whole weekend helping to sort cacti and the tensai had taken it upon himself to introduce him to each and every one of the plants. Talking about obsession._

_While he was outwardly still calm as the sea, inwardly Tezuka searched frantically for an excuse, like gardening or tutoring. Unfortunately Fuji would see right through them, because Tezuka was as good with plants as the tensai was in producing edible meals. As for the second excuse. The former buchou of Seigaku did that already on every first and third Sunday of the month, so sadly he couldn't think of a single plausible sounding excuse to turn down whatever the Tennis prodigy was about to propose. __So there was only one thing to do, take the defeat like the man he was. _

_"No."  
_

_Fuji's smile only widened and Tezuka got the feeling as if __invisible shackles had just clamped around his limbs. He was in for it now, question was 'what was it?'_

_  
"That's good. Then you can accompany __me to Atobe's Halloween party. What kind of costume do you want to wear?"_

_He blinked once, twice before Fuji's chuckle had snapped him out of it. By the look of amusement on the tensai's face he had probably for once lost his calm facade.__ But who wouldn't when confronted with such an unlikely idea._

_He had, of course, known about Atobe's Halloween party for weeks since the former Hyotei captain had taken it upon himself to give him the invitation in person. Naturally he had planned on not actually going, not because he didn't like Atobe, he respected him and his Tennis, but because it was a party and parties meant senseless socializing, meeting unknown people and even more important he would have to wear a costume! No way in hell he would dress up._

_Therefore he had told Atobe right away that he had already made plans for the particular evening and wouldn't be able to accept the invitation. Now it seemed like he would be there despite his efforts to stay away. Couldn't Fuji ask someone else? Kikumaru for example, he was the perfect person for a Halloween party, he enjoyed socializing and celebrating, not to mention dressing up. Tezuka himself enjoyed neither, which was certainly the reason why the sadistic tensai had chosen him as company. He made a mental note to run the tensai to exhaustion with laps as soon as he was captain again._

_"... alright Tezuka?"_

_Blinking again, he stared at Fuji. Having been thinking about his current predicament he had totally missed what the blue eyed teen had said. Said teen just smiled a little wider. Again, that couldn't be good._

_"I'll come around three pm on Tuesday so we can get ready. I'll bring your costume."_

_With that being said Fuji stood and walked back towards his side of the court. The game ended 6:3 in Tezuka's favor. A bit bewildered and more than a little wary the former Seigaku captain had gone home. Who knew what kind of costume Fuji would choose for him. The tensai wouldn't exactly go overboard as he did with the rest of the former team, but still this was Fuji and if there was one thing Kunimitsu had learned a long time ago, it was just what kind of stunts his sadistic classmate liked to pull._

_Take last year's White day for example. _

_All that could be said was that Fuji, chocolates and wasabi definitely didn't mix and that the ever smiling teen shouldn't be allowed in the near vicinity of a kitchen anytime soon. __Those wasabi chocolates had been the reason the whole Tennis club had been sick in the middle of March save the ones who had been smart enough not to eat the chocolates the tensai had made, which had been Inui, Kaidoh and himself.  
_

Shuddering he threw the ball to serve in order to avoid thinking about the debacle from last year. With a resounding 'smack' the yellow ball flew over the net, made contact with the ground before crashing in the metallic fence. It stayed stuck. Fuji had no chance of coming even close. Without waiting for the announcement Tezuka readied the next ball.

"15 love."

There were more than enough reasons why Tezuka liked playing Tennis, his talent aside. He enjoyed the way he could loose himself in every motion he or his opponent made, anticipating the next move and reacting accordingly, even watching a good game without participating himself. The elegant moves were breathtaking to him. He knew them all by heart, so even if his mind wandered a bit, he still could play as his body reacted almost automatic.

_Smack!_

"30 love."

Another ace and two more followed. Fuji was unable to return a single ball of his game. Now the senior was looking at him in confusion or as close as Fuji came to confusion behind his smiling face. Of course he wasn't playing like he normally would. This was just practice and not even good one, yet he was hitting balls with an intensity that almost reached tournament level.

The reason?

He couldn't forget what had happened two days prior.  
_  
Fuji had shown up as promised three hours prior the beginning of the party. Under his arm had been a mysterious package. Tezuka suspected strongly that the aforementioned package contained the humiliation Fuji was about to put him through for the evening. He had yet to get a good look at the tensai as the blue eyed teen was wearing a long thin coat with hood over his costume._

_He was not disappointed though because as soon as Fuji stepped into his room he had dropped his coat and Tezuka had been left speechless. Only after doing a full circle as the brunet had asked for his opinion he had found his voice again._

_"… It's ocean blue…"_

_And __ocean blue it was, indecently short and tied with spaghetti straps behind a swan like neck. A pair of chopsticks seemed to keep the brown hair, nearly chin length, secure at the back of Fuji's head; two brown curls still framed his face. Tezuka could see hints of eye shadow and pale lip-gloss on his friend's face. Clips decorated both ears. The smaller teen balanced surprisingly well on the matching stilettos he had chosen to wear with the dress, though Tezuka would rather call it a towel which was way too small, but that was just his opinion. In the tensai's left hand there was a small basket._

_"It looks good, doesn't it?"_

_The bespectacled teen nodded while wondering if it didn't even looked a bit too good. Fuji had always been the smallest of them until Echizen came along but he had been a freshman not a senior. According to Inui the Tennis prodigy hadn't grown an inch since they left Seigaku junior high. So standing at five ft. seven inches Fuji was the shortest student at their high school, even some of the first years had several inches on him. Coupled with his lithe and seemingly petite physique Fuji could pose as a very convincing female. Besides there had to be a reason why Kikumaru and Kawamura called him 'Fujiko' since they met him.  
_

"_Who are you?"_

_That was the original question he had asked himself since he first noticed that Fuji had dressed as a girl for Halloween. After getting over the shock that is._

_"Dorothy."_

_He really tried but Tezuka couldn't make a connection to the name. Neither to the clothes or basket. Had the coat been red, then perhaps he would guess for little red riding hood but now his mind was blank. Fuji just smiled, like he expected that very reaction._

_"Dorothy is from the 'wizard of Oz'."_

_Now that name sounded slightly familiar, he was sure he had heard about that before. Wasn't that something about a yellow brick road and a pair of magic shoes, who brought the girl from Kansas to Oz.? Yes that had to be it._

_" I thought she was a farming girl..." _

_Tezuka studied the high heeled shoes the tensai was wearing. __Fuji just smiled, one of his fingers twisting the strand, that fell over his left eye. The basket ended on his desk before he turned to that mysterious package whose contents Tezuka rather never wanted to find out._

_"Well it's an old story. I'm a modern Dorothy."_

_Tezuka wisely chose not to comment. Only Fuji would get the idea to adjust a fairytale to his liking so that he could chose what to wear. _

_"Tezuka..."_

_The aforementioned teen inwardly blanched. Fuji used that voice again. So it was time for him to get his costume. Silently he wondered how Fuji had gotten him comply, again. As this was not the first time he somehow had been 'talked' into doing what the young prodigy wanted. It was rather scary not to mention unsettling. _

_"Nani..?"_

_"There is something missing. My costume's not complete."_

_Now the former captain frowned, knowing that Fuji never gave information away without having a reason for it. The prodigy was a perfectionist. Admitting of having done something wrong or unfinished was unheard off. Tezuka studied Fuji's appearance once again while trying to get his little bits of information on the wizard of Oz together. The teen looked nothing like he remembered the girl from descriptions in the book save the brown hair and basket that is._

_The make up, the dress, the shoes and the basket, no he had absolutely no idea what Fuji was talking about. So he stayed silent. Fuji just smiled as if he had expected that particular action and he probably had._

_"Toto is missing. Now get your costume out."_

_As he had no idea what or who 'Toto' was, he did as Fuji had suggested. Eyeing the tensai warily he opened the package. Tezuka pulled a bi-coloured shirt from the depths of the package. Inspecting the item the former buchou couldn't fathom what purpose the shirt would serve. It was thin, white and black in a pattern, long sleeved with furry cuffs and ...tight?  
_

_Why did the feeling of dread just intensify? _

_Pants were next, again with the coloring in black and white and the furry ends. Turning the item around he noticed an appendage that wasn't supposed to be there: It looked like a tail!_

_And just like that, like someone had flipped a switch inside his mind he suddenly remembered what Toto was._

_**Dorothy's dog?!**_

_No way.  
_

"_Fuji!"_

_Sadly, as usual, the tensai __ignored the warning tone in his voice. Instead he took the package and pulled gloves, shoes shaped like paws and something else what suspiciously looked like a pair of dog ears out and laid them on his desk. _

"_C__'mon Tezuka, it's rude to be late."_

_With that Fuji proceeded to undress him in a rapid session, shoving him in the bathroom to shower before forcing him to put on that humiliation which was supposed to pass as a dog costume. How the tensai managed to do that in the span of sixty minutes was beyond Tezuka's understanding because he clearly remembered that he had put up protest which somehow had been silenced without him noticing._

_The result was that about two hours after Fuji's arrival he was wearing the shirt, the pants, the paw shaped gloves and shoes. The tail at his backside was properly adjusted and his glasses had somehow gotten missing. At the moment the prodigy was busy clipping the ears into his hair and making sure that they didn't fall off._

_"I can't see."_

_"Give me a second, this ear's really stubborn... gomen."_

_Tezuka suppressed a wince as Fuji tugged harder__ at his hair than necessary and kept as still as possible while the tensai finished with the ears. Five minutes later Fuji pulled away and studied him briefly before nodding to himself. He pulled another small box from the package and handed it Tezuka._

_"Here."_

_Inside the box __were contacts, daily ones to be precise. Tezuka was a bit baffled as they were exactly right for his prescription. Fuji answered his question before he had been able to open his mouth. _

"_Inui told me."_

_Figures, that shouldn't have been a surprise. Though how had Inui gotten the information? Perhaps he was better off not knowing as an image of Inui stalking him with his notebook popped up behind his closed eyelids. Suppressing a shudder he placed the contacts in his eyes. Blinking a few times he noticed as the world slid back into focus, that they weren't itching like the ones he had tried one year ago. _

"_You look good. __Its suits you."_

_Turning towards Fuji Tezuka eyed him suspiciously, as the blue eyed teen could either talk about the lack of glasses or the costume. Personally he bet on the latter but didn't say anything._

_"Come look at yourself."_

_With that Fuji pulled him from his bed and in front of the mirror. He looked… ridiculous. At least that was the only description Kunimitsu could think of. His hair looked as it always did with the exception of two plush ears in a triangle like form, which were clipped into it. It was unusual to see his face this clear without glasses because normally he only saw blurred outlines in the morning after his shower. Save the missing glasses there wasn't anything unusual so he studied the rest of himself. _

_The shirt fit perfectly and Tezuka guessed that he probably had Inui to thank for that__ too. Though he was a bit bothered by the fact that the fabric could have practically been painted on his skin. The pants were a bit better, but the gloves and shoes were downright disgraceful; both had been shaped like paws and therefore moving his fingers wasn't exactly easy. If he had anything to say about the whole thing, then he would undress right now and do something productive. Tezuka remembered distantly that there was documentation about bass fishing on TV this evening._

_"So what do you think?"_

_Hazel colored eyes met blue ones and Tezuka didn't need to open his mouth to convey the message. He was pretty sure that his glare said more than enough. Fuji though was, as usual, just smiling. This was one of those times when Tezuka was severely tempted to throttle the tensai just to wipe that smile off. _

_"I think you look cute."_

_Only Fuji would ever dare to say such a thing into his face and his glare only intensified. He looked ridiculous and that was it. The sound of a car horn startled them both. The tensai grabbed his basket and coat before pulling Tezuka towards the door._

_"I asked Atobe to give us a ride. No come otherwise we'll be late."_

_With that his fate had been sealed as Fuji dragged him out of the house and into one of the Atobe's limousines._

"Game, set and match, Tezuka 6:2."

He and Fuji shook hands after the match was over but Tezuka could still sense the confusion in the other teen, also a hint of worry was visible in the still open blue eyes. Few could read the prodigy as well as he could, Inui probably being among the others, but for the rest the ever smiling teen looked normal. Not even upset about the loss.

"You were playing pretty intense."

"Hmm."

With that Tezuka turned away. For him that conversation was finished. Calmly he took his place among the spectators again and waited for their captain to call on the next match. Why they didn't have multiple matches at the same time was another thing that the former captain couldn't understand but on the other hand it made perfect sense. Ichimura could never watch over more than one match at the same time, he was just too incompetent for that. Suppressing another sigh he pinched briefly the bridge of his nose before cleaning his glasses yet again. It just wasn't his day. Before he knew it practice was over and the team was in the locker room to change and shower. Normally Tezuka would be one of the first to shower and then leave as he found the company for the bigger part unbearable, but since 48 hours he took everything slower and therefore was one of the last to go in the shower. Not to mention that he didn't want the others to know…

"Tezuka, are you alright? You've been distracted…"

He had to admit it, his team mates were getting cleverer after every attempt to get him to open up. This time they had sent Oishi over and there was no way that he could get angry or snappy (yes, he could be snappy, thank you very much) at the 'mother hen' of Seigaku. That would be like getting angry at the late Mother Teresa. Especially when Tezuka could hear the sincere worry in his friend's voice.

"I'm fine. Don't worry"

Oishi didn't look convinced in the least but at this point Tezuka was past caring. All he wanted was to take his shower, then go home and for once leave everything behind him. With almost jerky movements he removed the rest of his clothes and entered the showers. Therefore he missed the startled look Oishi gave him before the doubles player left the locker room, on the outside Eiji was waiting for him along with the rest of the former Seigaku team. For them it was time to have an emergency meeting at McDonalds.

Tezuka was lucky, the shower room was almost deserted and the three first years were far too intimidated by him to pay attention. Setting his glasses and towel aside he stepped into one of the cubicles. As the cold water cascaded over him he felt himself relax for the first time since waking up. How had his life become so complicated in the span of 48 hours?

Right, the Halloween party and Fuji.

_Before he had known what was happening Fuji had pulled him out of his house; his parents were out; and into the limousine, which was waiting for them. The ride to the mansion Atobe currently inhabited was spent in silence as Tezuka had never been one for small talk and Fuji himself had enough sense to keep quiet after he had managed to drag the former buchou along._

_The tensai had in the end amused himself with mixing a positively lethal cocktail in the mini bar of the limousine. He made a note to check if Fuji and Inui had started to spend more time together than necessary, because the purple colored concoction reminded him of one of Inui's older juices. Not to mention that they shared a somewhat questionable sense of humor. Scratch that, their humor was downright disturbing._

_Then the car stopped and the chauffeur opened the door for them. He even went as far as to help Fuji exit the aforementioned vehicle. The tensai really made a convincing female._

_"Tezuka, you coming?"_

_Suppressing a sigh, Tezuka, too, exited the car. For one second the chauffeur looked like he wanted to laugh, but one icy glare silenced him. His face pulled into an even sterner mask of indifference he followed Fuji up the stairs towards the front door. Atobe was waiting for them and Tezuka had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Why was he not surprised. Ah, yes because Atobe usually referred to himself as 'king'._

_Atobe wore an expensive coat with a silken dress shirt and old fashioned __breaches beneath. On his head was a small crown with matching jewellery that decorated his body. If there was one thing that Tezuka was completely sure about it was Atobe's complete lack of color coordination, because the lavender silk shirt clashed with the red coat not to mention the brown pants. But as usual he took everything in one stride, a trick he had learned while being the captain of Seigaku. Nothing could faze him, he was calm… _

_Nodding his head briefly he greeted the former Hyotei captain who looked pleasantly surprised to see him, after he had finished starring at Fuji that is. At least the tensai hadn't told him beforehand about his accompaniment._

_"Interesting costume Fuji-kun, the wizard of Oz? Its suits you perfectly. Tezuka, ore-sama is glad you could make it."  
_

_Atobe made no comment about his own costume, but __the way his eyes raked down his body, gave Kunimitsu enough information. He didn't react though, merely thanked their host for the invitation and waited for him to let them enter his home. As more guests arrived Atobe opened the massive double doors to reveal a grand hall. Entering Tezuka studied the interior briefly; it was in western style and decorated. He was reminded of an American household he had seen on TV once: Bats, pumpkins and other items were present. Opposite of the doors was a table with food and drinks. In another corner were sitting opportunities. His obvious choice for spending the rest of the entire evening._

_Without waiting for Fuji or Atobe he got a cup of the fruity punch along with a plate of food and sat on one of the many couches, planning on not moving anytime soon. _

Opening his eyes, Tezuka stopped the shower. He didn't know just how long he had been standing under the cold water, but he knew that too long wouldn't be healthy and a cold was the last thing he wanted. Switching to warm he grabbed his shampoo and began washing his hair. Just don't remember, that sentence was repeated in his mind like an endless loop. Sadly that seemed to be impossible.

_It had been two hours and Tezuka couldn't actually remember being more bored in his life__ than now. Loud music was playing and some of the teens were dancing, others talking and another group was using the swimming pool next door. The hazel eyed teen wondered faintly if the other regulars were invited too, if so, he hadn't seen them so far. This was, now that he thought about it, a good thing since he doubted they would ever take him seriously again after seeing him in this outfit. _

_Students of St. Rudolph were present as well; he had already seen their manager Mizuki, who was dressed like Fuji, well not quite. While Fuji wore a dress and stilettos, he even looked somewhat pretty in it. Mizuki on the other hand looked like he had dressed up as a drag queen and not a good one at that. The most disturbing thing however was that the dark haired tennis player seemed to be happy!! He clung to Yuuta's arm and smiled. Aforementioned tennis player wore a tuxedo and, while Tezuka couldn't identify as what he was dressed, judging by the way Yuuta looked at Mizuki it was clear who had made the manager dress like that._

_Tezuka suppressed a shudder. There was an important fact that people often forgot and it caused them to underestimate __**Fuji**__ Yuuta. True enough, he wasn't the famed tensai of Seigaku, who regarded wasabi sushi as some sort of candy and collected cacti, but instead he was a tennis player of St. Rudolph high school and his sense of taste was normal. But that was the point which caused all people to let their guard down around Yuuta, but as harmless as he appeared to be he was still a Fuji and therefore should be approached with caution. One look at Mizuki was proof enough, at least for him. _

_The noise__s were definitely too much for Tezuka, without a word he stood, refilled his cup of punch before leaving the hall for the gardens. Perhaps there he would get a bit peace. Glancing around the hall once more he spotted Inui, disguised as Dr. Frankenstein, standing near the food buffet. Next to him was Yanagi Renji of Rikkai. Suddenly a shiver ran down his spine as he eyed the two data men. Ducking a bit he slipped out of the hall before Inui could see him. The last thing the young man needed was for his classmate to record this incident in his notebook. He couldn't get careless._

_As soon as the teen was outside he took a deep breath. Fresh air helped him clear his head a bit, before he studied his surroundings. _

_T__he senior had to admit whoever took care of Atobe's garden had to be an artist. There was a beautiful koi pond, well a huge koi pond, fully equipped with waterfalls and exotic plants. Dozens of the multicolored and no doubt expensive fishes were swimming around in never ending circles. The lawn was flawless and nothing was out of place, be it the blossoming flowers, the hedges or bushes. Briefly he wondered how high the sum of money had to be, that the Atobes had to pay for this, but then he decided that it wasn't really important. _

_Peace was important and among the hedges he would hopefully find some. Scattered lights made it possible to see something as Tezuka walked through the maze of hedges and bushes. Silence had enveloped him and the noises of the party were only faintly ringing in the distance. He must have been walking for only a few minutes as it started. Briefly the world blurred and slid out of focus before refocusing again. Stopping he blinked a few times, nothing happened. Shrugging it off he sat on one of the benches and just looked at the sky while sipping from the punch._

_About one hour later it grew too cold to continue to stay outside, so the tennis player decided to return to the mansion. He had just walked a few feet as the world suddenly turned upside down. Tezuka managed to steady himself against a hedge as his feet gave out under him._

_What the heck was going on?_

_Then the hazel colored eyes fell onto the cup he had dropped, it made 'click' and everything slid in place._

_First there was Fuji's disturbing grin as he had regarded the tables with the refreshments earlier and secondly a picture of Inui and Yanagi near the buffet appeared in his mind. _

_That led to three, no two possible conclusions._

_1. Inui and Yanagi had spiked the punch and Fuji had known about it._

_Or_

_2. Fuji had spiked the punch and Inui and Yanagi had the same idea. Making the punch and the food positively dangerous._

_The second option seemed to be the most likely since the tensai rarely involved anyone if he planned something. Fuji was going to die from running laps, Tezuka would make sure of that. After his mind stopped feeling like filled with cotton that is. _

_Steadying himself he let go of the hedge and proceeded to walk very slowly back to the mansion.__ Unfortunately his sense of orientation had dwindled after drinking the punch. Five minutes later white marble stairs were coming in view and Tezuka definitely remembered that there had been no stairs where he had gone outside._

_Looking back he decided that in his state perhaps it was better to just go inside than trying to find his way through the now seemingly maze of greenery. Bracing himself on the banister he went up the stairs. The balcony was just as beautiful as the rest of the gardens. Leaning against the banister he closed his eyes, the spinning hadn't stopped but it hadn't gotten worse either. _

_About 15 minutes later his head started to feel better and he found an open door which led into a long corridor with a lot of doors. Apparently he had ended near the Atobes' sleeping quarters. So how to find the way back? Easier said than done as Tezuka's head still felt like stuffed with wool, not to mention that it was pitch black and he didn't know where the switch was. And even if he did, he doubted that he would find it in his current condition._

_Closing the door behind himself, the tennis player listened quietly. In the distance he could hear the faint noises of music playing. Bingo! Keeping one hand against the wall he followed the sounds of the music. Minutes later he was standing in the upper part of the hall where the Halloween party was being celebrated in. Leaning against the banister he studied the people on the ground floor._

_Atobe was dancing with a girl he didn't know. It seemed like Fuji was talking, no flirting... yes he knew that word and its meaning... with four guys at once, not very surprising. He could see Inui writing in his notebook with the player of Rikkai close by. And …_

_"Buchou?"_

_Hazel colored eyes widened. Impossible! But there was no one else who pronounced his former title quite like that, the faint foreign accent thickening the word a little. The voice was deeper than he remembered but it was unmistakable._

_Turning around he was instantly spellbound by a pair of golden catlike eyes. For once Tezuka was speechless, though he doubted that with his silent and stoic behavior anyone would notice. He took a few seconds to take in Echizen's appearance. It had been two years since he had last seen the young tennis prodigy in person. _

_Echizen had changed, noticeably so. __The face was almost the same, perhaps a more mature look, less baby fat and a thin scar running down his jaw. The unruly black traces with the greenish tint had grown and were now long enough to be tied back. They probably reached past the shoulder blades. With the hair like it was now he looked like an almost perfect copy of the legendary samurai Echizen Nanjirou. Though Tezuka had only seen pictures of the man in some of his magazines._

_The most distinguishing feature however was his height. As Echizen had left for the U.S Open he had been barely over 5 ft. Now however he was several inches taller. Not as tall as himself or Inui but taller than Fuji, Kikumaru and Momoshiro, well perhaps not Momoshiro as he had grown quite a bit too, but definitely taller than the former two. He guessed Ryoma to be about 5ft. 10 inches, almost the height Oishi had been two years ago. _

_Ryoma looked good, he was wearing a silver Kataginu with dark green ornaments at the cuffs of the wide sleeves and black Hakama. Two swords were tucked inside the belt, a Kodachi and a Katana, white socks with wooden sandals were worn and the hair was tied up. The teen looked like he came directly from a history book, truly a samurai._

_He felt like he had studied Echizen for hours even though it couldn't have been more than ten seconds. Nodding his head he greeted the former Seigaku member._

_"I'm not your buchou anymore, Echizen."_

_The Tennis prodigy just smirked and for a second Tezuka thought he would use his favorite phrase, instead those golden eyes gave him a once over and the former Seigaku captain was forcefully reminded of what attire he was currently wearing. _

_And Echizen had seen him!!_

_"Interesting costume __buchou,.. Fuji-senpai?"_

_Tezuka stayed quiet, then he noticed the half empty cup in Echizen left hand. That explained the slightly red hue on Echizen's cheeks. He, too, had drunk from the spiked punch. Normally he wasn't exactly for talk but now with the prospect of having Echizen back in Japan, perhaps he would talk. He was curios as to why Echizen was here in the middle of the school year._

_"Are you back for vacation?"_

_Echizen shook his head. The long strands were flying around his face but couldn't obscure the small real smile than now briefly graced the teen's lips. Tezuka tried very hard not to stare, but he was honest with himself, Echizen's smile was beautiful and a rare sight. Turning his head away he pretended to study the dance floor below._

_"I'm staying. Going to Seigaku next week."_

_"Who told you about the party?"  
_

_What made you come here? That was the question Tezuka really wanted to ask, seeing that Echizen liked to socialize as __much as he did, the Tennis player couldn't fathom what had made him come here in the first place._

_"The monkey king dragged me here."_

_For once Tezuka couldn't bring himself to correct Echizen regarding his language instead he nodded and took the cup before the dark haired teen could take another sip._

_"It's spiked."_

_Echizen didn't question him instead he stood next to Tezuka, his arms hidden in the wide sleeves of his Gi. For a few minutes no one said anything._

_"I saw Inui-senpai near the buffet."_

_Tezuka wanted to say __something, but the words stuck in his throat. The world spun again and his knees gave out for the second time this evening. His stomach lurched and he had to suppress the urge to retch._

_"Buchou?!"_

_He could feel Echizen's hands on his shoulders, a bit hesitant and careful. Pulling himself up he wanted to assure the teen that he was alright, but the nauseating feeling didn't go away, so he stayed silent. But apparently Echizen had known what had happened as the next sentence proved._

_"Come buchou, there has to be a bathroom somewhere.."_

_It was a good thing that Echizen had grown so much, otherwise he would have probably fallen over while leaning on his shoulder. He didn't know what was more embarrassing, the fact that Echizen had seen in him in this outfit or that he had to assist him in getting to a bathroom because he was too drunk to find one himself. Fuji was going to die…a painful death that was certain. Consequences be damned!_

_Leaning against Echizen he dragged himself along. They were back in a corridor with a lot of doors. One door was opened to reveal what seemed to be a guest room, a large modern western style bed was standing in the corner along with a dresser and a desk and chair, but no personal items were visible. Near the other side of the room was a second door. Considering the wealth of the Atobes Tezuka would bet his left arm, that the door led to a bathroom._

_Echizen seemed to share his idea, as he closed and locked the door behind them before pulling him towards the other door. Tezuka had guessed right, after Echizen opened the door, they stepped into a luxurious bathroom. If he hadn't been so focused on keeping his food down, Tezuka surely would have admired the interior. Alas he was too busy to calm his stomach._

_Kunimitsu had never really drunk alcohol before except one cup of warm sake at his fifteenth birthday. In history that had been the age when boys became men and took their place in the adult world, the ceremony was called genpuku. His grandfather had held the ceremony for him as his parents had been on a business trip. Funny that he remembered that now._

_As soon as Echizen had let him over to the toilet every bit of self-control, Tezuka had left, disappeared as the former captain violently lost everything that he had eaten in the last 24 hours. His frame shook with every motion he made. Finally after what seemed like eternity he felt the tension leave and he sacked down, his hands still preventing him from taking a dive into the toilet. In the distance he could hear the sound of water running but his thoughts were too scattered to connect them successfully._

_Something wet touched the left side of his face, turning he saw that Echizen was offering him an apparently soaked rag. For a few seconds he stared simple at the velvet piece of cloth until Echizen raised a questioning eyebrow. Accepting the rag he first wiped his face and lastly his mouth. Now there was this stale taste, how could he get rid of that?_

_Pushing himself up he sat next to Echizen on the rim of a magnificent bathtub, taking care in keeping his balance. He heard a hissing sound and saw that the younger Tennis prodigy was opening a can of grape flavored ponta. Where did Echizen get the can from? But before Tezuka could ask, Echizen was already offering him the drink. For a few seconds he just stared. He hadn't known the young boy for a long time, barely a year but in all the months he had never seen him share his beloved drink with anyone, even Momoshiro. _

_Truth to be told Tezuka himself had never tasted the carbonated soda as his parents had always emphasized to drink healthy beverages, water or tea being his preferred choice, but the flavored drink would surely get rid of the taste in his mouth. With a nod he accepted the ponta and took a few gulps. It didn't taste as sweet as expected but far too sweet to drink it on a regular basis as his companion did. After a few more sips the taste was gone and he handed the can back to Echizen, who calmly drunk the rest like he hadn't had some in ages._

_After that the golden eyed teen had disposed of the can and left the bathroom, leaving Tezuka on his own for a few minutes before he carefully followed his former team mate. Contra to his belief Echizen hadn't left the room but was sitting on the bed and stared out of the window, making no movement to acknowledge him._

_For a moment he silently wondered what Echizen saw, when he looked like that with his golden eyes glazed over. He didn't appear to be in this world anymore. Tezuka cursed himself for thinking it but he knew it was true, with the moonlight spilling into the room Echizen looked like a being from another world, truly beautiful in ways Fuji, Atobe or Kevin Smith would never manage to attain, but perhaps he was just biased because he always thought Echizen to be beautiful. Whether he had a tennis racquet in his hand or not._

_He had sat next to Echizen, equally silent, simply because he enjoyed the quiet company of the young tennis prodigy a lot more than any party. Besides his head was still spinning even though it had gotten a lot better._

_"I beat him..."_

_The sudden statement had confused him for a few seconds before he realized just what Echizen had told him a few seconds ago._

_"..and you were right. Nothing has changed."_

_Tezuka had winced at the pain, hidden beneath the two sentences. While he refused to feel guilty about opening Echizen's eyes; the man was still his father and the first opponent the teen ever had. To destroy his ideals had been necessary for Echizen to grow, but Tezuka had never enjoyed it especially because it should have been Echizen Nanjirou's task to guide Ryoma to find his own style of tennis instead of letting him grow with the belief that tennis was just the means to accomplish his goal of defeating him._

_"…"_

_Tezuka didn't know what to say, he could have congratulated Echizen, but it didn't seem right. Not when Echizen wasn't happy about the victory himself. Instead he briefly touched the teen's shoulder before retreating just as quickly. Why was it that Echizen still scorched him like this. The prince had outgrown them all and left to conquer the world. Shouldn't he, Tezuka, be glad about it?_

_He had never been glad about it, because in a way Echizen had affected him like no one else had ever managed to. After he had graduated he still occasionally had stopped at the Haruno courts and had just stared at the court while remembering the first game he had played with the teen. It had gone too far and six months after the ambidextrous player had left he had banished everything about him and thrown himself in his studies that he had little energy left for anything else. It had worked._

_But now with the teen beside him, every little memory came back with the force of a sledgehammer. He had no idea what Echizen had wanted to say, but it was probably about tennis as Tezuka finally did something he had wanted to do since he saw the boy play for the first time. _

_He had leaned in and kissed him._

_Everything else after that had been a blur of sounds, tastes and touches._

With few last spluttering sounds the water was shut down and Tezuka grabbed his white towel from a nearby rack. Drying his face off, he put his glasses back on and tied the towel around his waist. Looking into the changing room he noticed that he, for once, was one of the last students to leave. The freshmen, who had cleaning duty, apparently had just finished with the courts. Ichimura was leaning against his locker and looked at them with disdain.

Of course, the vice captain, a young man named Takahashi Mamoru, had broken his hand in the last match. With him missing it was the captain's duty to lock up the rooms.

Tezuka ignored the ill mannered captain and proceeded to get his neatly folded clothes. Closing his locker he sat on the bench, hoping that Ichimura would, for once, leave him alone. For reasons Tezuka couldn't fathom Ichimura enjoyed picking on him. Not that the senior got much out of it, as he never reacted to the comments. Besides most of the time Fuji or Inui would make comebacks in his stead. Even though he had never asked for it, if he wanted to defend himself then he would do so.

Alas it seemed Ichimura had different plans as his pale blue eyes landed on the former buchou. He narrowed his eyes before smirking. Tezuka got the sinking feeling that the idiot had just found something new to bother him with.

"My my, I guess the rumors aren't true after all."

He didn't answer, though Tezuka could guess which rumor Ichimura meant. There weren't that many about him. But that one circulated since his days at Seigaku junior high. And yes, contra to popular belief he did notice gossip, and therefore he knew that there had been a bet about his sexual orientation almost as long as he had been fukubuchou of the Seigaku tennis team, had turned down the hottest girl in school and every other girl that had followed.

His lack of interest in either gender had caused most students to bet on the fact, that he was asexual. If he actually gave a damn about the opinions of other people then he probably would have been severely embarrassed by their assumptions, but as he didn't he mostly ignored them.

Tezuka noticed that Ichimura's gaze was fixed on the right side of his neck and shoulder. He resisted the urge to cover the area up, it wasn't the captain's business, what he did in his free time. Without acknowledging the captain's words he pulled his shirt over his head and dressed in silence.

A gasp drew his attention briefly but he ignored it, Ichimura or someone else had probably seen the scratches on his back, not that he cared. In less than ten minutes he was dressed and left. Not noticing the conspiring looks his captain shared with one of his friends.

School was closing down and most clubs were already shut as Tezuka was leaving the grounds with the purpose of having a quiet evening. Not to forget the homework that was waiting for him. Then the tennis player stopped abruptly; Atobe Keigo was leaning against the wall next to the school entrance apparently waiting for someone. As he noticed Tezuka he pushed himself off and walked towards him, stopping only a few feet in front of him.

.. and for once there wasn't an arrogant smirk on his face.

Tezuka felt his frame stiffening. Atobe not being arrogant was like Inui not collecting data, Fuji not smiling or Momoshiro and Kaidoh getting along, absolutely frightening."Tezuka-san..."

That couldn't be good. Atobe had, never, in all the time Tezuka had known the young man addressed him so formally.

"...ore-sama would like a few minutes of your time!"

Kunimitsu wasn't stupid, while Atobe had voiced a question, his tone carried on a request. And he knew better than to refuse, at least this time. Simply nodding he indicated Atobe to lead the way. The Hyotei captain was, to Tezuka's surprise, on foot and led him to one of the lesser visited parks. After fifteen minutes the heir to one of the most successful companies in Japan spotted a bench and sat down motioning for Tezuka to join him.

Tezuka sat down and waited for Atobe to say something. He didn't have to wait long as Atobe was his usual impatient self.

"So..."

The former buchou of Seigaku merely raised an eyebrow.

"Tezuka, ore-sama shall be blunt."

Atobe waited for a few seconds, seemingly steeling himself for something and for a split-second the calm facade slipped and there was something akin to fury/despair and sorrow. Then the fury stayed and the former buchou turned towards him.

"Why did you do it?"

Tezuka was taken aback at the accusation in Atobe's question. For a few seconds he stayed silent. Unfortunately the former Hyotei captain took his silence the wrong way and sighed before speaking again.

"C'mon Tezuka, ore-sama knows that you are not stupid, he also knows that you notice a lot of things beyond Tennis and most of all he knows that you noticed that he has been flirting with you."

Atobe paused for a few seconds, breathing in and out before continuing.

"You ignore my advances, as you do with everyone else."

Tezuka refrained from breathing a sigh of relief. That was what this was about. His lack of interest in dating? And here the former Seigaku student had imagined all kinds of things Hyotei's 'king' would want to talk about. The party for example, his lack of presence at aforementioned party or the fact that he had sex with one Echizen Ryoma in one of the guest rooms during aforementioned party.

"And?"

The wrong thing to say, again.

"And? Is that all?"

"Atobe, it's my personal decision."

"Then pray tell, what in the name of nine hells makes that damn BRAT special enough, that you would jump into bed with him after not seeing him in years!!!"

Tezuka froze, Atobe knew?!

"Oh come off it Tezuka, you weren't exactly quiet."

For the first time the former buchou didn't know what to say, he felt his face heat up and just knew that he was blushing. There wasn't much to begin with. Though Tezuka felt a lot of uncharacteristic emotions, embarrassment and shame being only two among many.

"Gomen nasai."

"What are you apologizing for now?"

"For my rudeness."

Atobe just rolled his eyes, honestly the stoic teen beside him was so predictable sometimes. Ruffling his hair a bit he resisted the urge to sigh. Holding a conversation with Tezuka was worse than any dentist visit.

"Tezuka, if ore-sama hadn't wanted anyone in those rooms, he wouldn't have let them open in the first place."

Ignoring Tezuka's rather incredulous look he continued.

"The rooms were left open for that purpose. You still haven't answered my question though. You ignore every advance regardless who makes it, but the brat turns up and everything is forgotten. Ore-sama doesn't understand at all."

Tezuka stayed silent; there wasn't really anything he could have said. Simply because he didn't know the answer himself. He couldn't blame it on being drunk though, because he had still been in control of his actions and had he wanted it, he could have stopped Ryoma. He could have stopped himself.

But he didn't.

.. because he had wanted to, there was no other explanation. He wanted Echizen Ryoma, he still wanted him. That couldn't be true, but it had to be. Echizen was the only person he had ever wanted and not just for Tennis and as pillar of Seigaku, but for himself. Of course, that explained a lot of things, perhaps why he first wanted to write _fool_ instead of _fly_ as parting message for the teen.

"I.. I don't know."

Now it was Atobe's turn to look incredulous. He shook his head, giving birth couldn't be anymore complicated than this. There were so many attractive boys and handsome young men in the city, who would jump at the opportunity to go out with his royal self, but no; he had to set his eyes on the only guy, who possessed the emotional capacity of a rock. No, that wasn't entirely true, there was certainly a very passionate side to Tezuka Kunimitsu. The brat, also known as Echizen Ryoma, could certainly attest to that. But Echizen was the exception as Tezuka ruled over his emotions with an iron fist. Still if he couldn't have Tezuka, he at least wanted to know the details.

"Is that why you were running home like death itself was chasing you?"

The shoulders were tensing and Atobe got the feeling that he shouldn't push the former buchou any further, otherwise he might snap like a twig. Rubbing his hands he stood up, this was going nowhere and if there was one thing that ore-sama hated, it was wasting time. After all there were many people who would fall on their knees to spent time with him. Tezuka just didn't appreciate him enough.

"Well…ore-sama must take his leave now. Goodbye Tezuka."

And just like that the Hyoutei student left. Tezuka's eyes followed Atobe until the young man wasn't visible anymore. Only then he stood up as well and left the park in the opposite direction. It was a great shortcut to the station anyway. He was nearing the gates already when he stopped for a short moment.

"I guess I wanted him…"

Of course Atobe was long gone by now and there was no one there to hear the almost silent confession.

Tezuka was glad about it, no one was there to see his face at the revelation.

Because Echizen was like a Tsunami, crashing against his walls and tearing them down like they were made from rice paper. He didn't know why, in the years he had known the Tennis prodigy he hadn't gotten an inch closer in understanding the teen.

Perhaps he was not meant to. Shrugging Tezuka went home, he still had homework to do and hopefully he would sleep through tonight without those disturbing dreams keeping him awake. Changing the bed sheets and washing them was much more time consuming than he would have expected. The next morning came faster than Tezuka would have liked, because for all his discipline he hated rising early and mornings in general. Not to mention that he had barely gotten any sleep and that his sheets needed to be cleaned, again.

Stupid dreams... damn memories..

He really needed to find a way to forget about that encounter, if one could call it that. Though with Echizen around again, he couldn't see it happen anytime in the near future.

Grumbling he stepped into the shower, it wouldn't be good if he was late for training. Ichimura would undoubtedly punish him with more than just running laps. Thirty minutes later he set his cup down, thanked his mother, who had along with her husband returned from their vacation the day before and left for school. For once training and school weren't that exciting. Ichimura didn't make a single comment about him, instead Tezuka was ignored by the arrogant captain. Additionally neither Oishi or any other of the former Seigaku members asked him questions. What could Tezuka say, beyond: thank kami for small miracles.

Today he left training along with the rest of the former regulars, still ignoring the worried glances thrown his way. They didn't get that far. Kikumaru, walking at the front, stopped suddenly and nearly everyone stumbled into him.

"Eiji, what is it?"

Oishi and the others, Tezuka included, looked around the junior to see what had made their acrobat player freeze in place. Against the fence opposite of the entrance to their high school leaned a teen, next to him laid a very familiar looking tennis bag. The young man wore sport shoes, a dark blue jeans, an emerald green button up shirt, not tucked in, and on his head was a blue white Fila cap. The skin was tanned and golden eyes twinkled at them, lips pulled in a very familiar smirk.

"Mada mada dane sempai-tachi.."

For about ten seconds no one moved. Eiji, Taka, Momoshiro and Kaidoh looked somewhat comical, Inui couldn't be discerned because of his glasses, though Tezuka noted that his ever present notebook had fallen to the ground. Oishi seemed to be in shock and Fuji, Fuji just smiled but his eyes had opened all the way. All of them seemed surprised by Echizen's appearance, which somehow comforted the former buchou. It meant none of them would begin to guess what had transpired between him and Echizen.

Then there was a flurry of red and green, Seigaku high's color of choice for their uniforms, as all former regulars sprinted towards their youngest member. Eiji flung himself with a loud **"OCHIBI!!!!"** at Echizen followed closely by Momoshiro. Echizen was really lucky, that he had grown so much otherwise he might have gone down with the combined weight of the two tennis players on his shoulders.

"Eiji!"

Oishi hurriedly pulled the acrobat player off Echizen leaving the dunk smash expert free to get Echizen in a headlock. Or at least he tried because the golden eyed teen evaded him easily. Kaidoh looked at him with something akin to respect, most likely for evading his eternal rival. Inui had collected himself and his notebook and was once again scribbling something in it. Under his breath he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'good data'.

Only Fuji's reaction puzzled Tezuka a bit, no, it made downright uncomfortable. He looked at Echizen with a light in his eyes that he had never seen before in the tensai's eyes, not to forget the smile that now graced his lips. There was an unhealthy hunger in those blue depths.

"Mada mada dane Momo-senpai."

Momo who had landed flat on his face looked somewhat torn between laughing and being enraged. Unsurprisingly it was Oishi who saved Echizen from Momoshiro's wrath by distracting him with the idea of all of them going Kawamura sushi to celebrate Echizen's return. Of course the idea was met with approval. Tezuka stayed quiet but nodded nonetheless. Twenty minutes later they were all sitting at Kawamura's.

Echizen was being interrogated by Eiji and Momoshiro while trying to eat sushi. Not that he got much of it as his two sempais stole pieces of his plate every few seconds ignoring the protests. After five minutes, Echizen's patience at its end, the junior high school student grabbed his plate and sat next to Tezuka at the counter. Another five minutes later Fuji took the place next to Echizen, offering him pieces of his own sushi.

That particular action was met with stunned silence as Fuji never shared his sushi, not that anyone accepted it. Wasabi sushi was not everyone's taste and Echizen liked his taste buds functioning, so he declined. That prompted another round of stunned silence, Echizen was many things but courteous or polite didn't belong to them. Most of the times he was downright rude. Echizen ignored them and ate the rest of his sushi.

"So Echizen how long have you been back?"

Echizen looked at Oishi and finished chewing before answering.

"One week."

"And you are staying?"

Echizen simply nodded and turned his attention back towards his plate, which was mostly empty. Tezuka still hadn't acknowledged him, he couldn't, he didn't know what to say. After all what should you say to the guy you had sex with but then left without leaving as much as a note? It was not Tezuka's way to be so rude, but for once he had been overwhelmed by the situation.

How could he have been so careless?

"Echizen, you up for a match?"

Hazel colored eyes widened and Tezuka turned towards Echizen and Fuji. The latter smiling in a somewhat creepy manner. Echizen had raised an eyebrow as if to say: 'Are you stupid or something? Of course I'm up!'

"A match, Fuji-sempai?"

"Certainly Echizen, we never finished ours, remember?"

Again that glare that labeled Fuji as stupid, as if Echizen forgot a tennis match. He forgot the opponents but never the matches.

"Which court? When?"

"Now, only three streets from here opened a tennis club a week ago. I'm a member, we can finish our match there."

"Bring it on Fuji-sempai."

That sealed their deal, Echizens eyes were glowing with excitement. He practically inhaled the remaining pieces and stood up, grabbing his bag while he did so. Naturally that had caught the attention of the remaining team members and none of them wanted to miss it. Tezuka didn't know what to think, on one side it was breathtaking to watch Echizen and Fuji play but on the other side… he wasn't really comfortable with the idea, not with that look in the blue eyes. Should he warn Echizen, that the tensai was up to something? That would mean he had to acknowledge the youngest teen and … no Echizen would have to deal with it. He brought this upon himself after all.

They left the sushi restaurant and followed Fuji through the different streets until they reached the club Fuji had mentioned. As Fuji was still wearing his tennis clothes he had no need to change, but Echizen did. So he vanished into the changing rooms followed by Eiji, Momoshiro and Oishi, who no doubt wanted to warn them about Fuji's new moves, leaving the rest of them outside. Taka was leaning against the fence and studied his surroundings while Inui was still mumbling about new data. Kaidoh had seen a small kitten and was petting it with great enthusiasm. His habit of hiding his love for animals had been forgotten as the regulars had gifted him with a small baby kitten on his birthday two years ago.

Though most of the time the small fur ball lived with Tezuka as the Kaidohs didn't allow their oldest son to have an animal. Therefore _mon petit_, which was the French name for ochibi, had gotten a basket in the garden of the Tezukas as the former buchou lived closest to the Kaidohs. Every morning long before Tezuka was up Kaidoh came and fed his pet. How the young man could get up at such an ungodly hour was beyond Tezuka's understanding anyway, but he had nothing against the cat, that now inhabited their garden. He even petted it now and then.

Tezuka himself was sitting on the bench outside of the court and waited. This was bound to be a good match. After a few minutes Fuji joined him, his racquet between them. There was that creepy smile again and while he was not exactly afraid of Fuji, he didn't want to be the target of his wrath, plans or schemes again anytime soon because Fuji's attention was rarely a good thing.

And the whole mess was still Fuji's fault to begin with!

"Are you alright Tezuka? You're the only one who hasn't greeted Echizen yet."

"There wasn't a chance so far…"

Fuji just nodded, his eyes though were focused on his friend. It was as if he was trying to look into Tezuka's soul.

"Echizen grew up. I can't wait to test my tennis against his."

The unholy gleam in his eyes was still present. Tezuka stayed silent, they both knew that there was nothing that Tezuka would like better than testing his own tennis against the skill of the youngest winner of the U.S Open.

"Not to mention that he had certainly grown up in other ways."

That got Tezuka's attention. What did Fuji mean with that statement? The tensai just smiled in that manner of his.

"He is very attractive!"

Tezuka fought urge to hit his head against the nearest brick wall, if there was one thing worse than Fuji's attention than it was Fuji's attraction because the tensai pursued until he got what he wanted. The tennis player felt bad for Echizen and at the same time he wanted to tell Fuji to keep his hands off Echizen because the teen was already taken. Which was a completely ludicrous assumption as he had made his thoughts very clear as he left without leaving as much as a note.

Something was seriously wrong with him.

Before he could give Fuji an answer Echizen exited the clubhouse, now dressed in a very familiar Seigaku regular outfit. No surprise there, if Echizen had already been enrolled in school than the 'freshmen trio' would have made sure that Echizen was part of the regulars as soon as possible. Having a pro player certainly held advantages.

"I didn't know that Seigaku held tryouts already."

Echizen shrugged, not really interested in small talk. Even if he was, Eiji decided to jump the tennis wonder again. Like a monkey he balanced on the younger ones' shoulders. Echizen just rolled his eyes before walking towards the courts with Eiji still sitting on his shoulders, at least until the acrobat player made a very unusual noise, something between a yell of surprise and a squeak. He promptly fell off and tumbled onto the grass.

"Eiji!"

The redhead shook his head, he certainly would have a headache the next minutes. Leaning himself against Oishi he enjoyed his fussing for a few minutes. Then his eyes opened, his gaze landed on Echizen and he grinned widely. What was going on?

"Nya, our ochibi is all grown up now."

Then Eiji proceeded to shed some imaginary tears and cry into Oishi's shoulder. The rest of the Seigaku team, Echizen included, wondered what had bitten their resident acrobat player.

"What do you mean Kikumaru-sempai?"

Momoshiro was the one to question Eiji about his behavior. His violet eyes were focused on Echizen though, as he was apparently the reason for Eiji's antics.

"Our ochibi's got a lot of hickeys on his shoulders."

That certainly got the attention of the former regulars. Momoshiro's jaw slackened, Oishi blushed, Kaidoh looked caught between being scandalized and visibly disturbed, Inui was rapidly scribbling in his notebook, Taka's eyes were the size of plates and Fuji… Fuji looked calculating. Tezuka himself stayed expressionless, though inwardly he was berating himself for the hundreds time for being so careless.

Then Momoshiro abruptly pulled Echizen's shirt down revealing the tanned shoulder, which was indeed littered with love bites. He whistled before Echizen yanked the shirt up, scowling at the power player.

"My my Echizen."

"Che, can we play now."

"Certainly Echizen."

"Nya Fujiko, ochibi hasn't told us any details yet."

"Eiji!!"

Thank kami for Oishi, also known as the voice of reason, he shushed Kikumaru normally without any problems. Tezuka hoped he stayed silent because with Echizen you never knew what you would get and he wasn't in the mood to explain his actions to anyone. Echizen seemed annoyed, rolling with his eyes in a very exaggerated manner before adjusting his cap and walking onto the court.

"It's called having sex, Kikumaru-sempai."

Tezuka winced mentally, was that last sentence really necessary? Apparently, as it sent the former regulars in the second shock of the day. Now Kaidoh looked really freaked out, while Kawamura was ready to faint. Momoshiro and Eiji, both, were giving a good impression of a goldfish, while Inui's notebook had fallen onto the ground for the second time. Oishi seemed on the verge of dieing from blood loss and even Fuji was for once speechless. No smile, just shock or so it seemed. Tezuka couldn't believe that Echizen could be so careless, the next question would be about his partner, this had to stop!

"Echizen!"

One second later Tezuka wished he had kept his mouth shut because now he was in the center of Echizen's attention, for the first time today. Those golden eyes were penetrating his defenses like only Echizen could and he didn't like the anger that lurked beneath the façade.

"Che, Kikumaru-sempai asked Tezuka-sempai and I answered him."

It didn't escape Tezuka's attention, that he had been called sempai by the younger teen. Two days ago he still had been "buchou". It hurt, he noticed with some surprise. The remaining questions Kikumaru and Momoshiro asked were ignored as Echizen pushed a box with tennis balls into Fuji's hands. The former buchou noted that the tensai was overshadowed by Echizen. Shortly after that the match began. The younger teen was the first to serve. For once the Fuji didn't smile, the blue sapphires were fixated on Echizen with a rarely seen intensity. The racquet was in position, the game on.

Tezuka noticed that something had changed in the stance as the youngest threw the ball. His back was arching a little more than before, the racquet in a different position and then Echizen smacked the ball over the net right into Fuji's side of the court. The aforementioned tensai didn't stand a chance in reaching the ball. His smirk widened and he went into position again. This time he was ready and returned the serve. Echizen had gotten faster and was at the ball immediately. What followed was one of the best matches Tezuka had watched so far outside of the professional matches on TV.

They had yet to use one of their special moves, like the cyclone smash or the fourth counter Fuji had invented before the nationals had started, after Echizen had left for America. Oishi had, as always, began calling the points.

1:0 for Echizen at the moment.

Now it was Fuji's turn to serve and he looked more than ever ready to tear something apart. The blue eyes were burning intensely, in all the time Tezuka had known him he had never seen the tensai play like this. All traces of mirth or fun were gone, replaced with something Tezuka had thought was his privilege alone. He wondered what Fuji was feeling, now that he took Echizen serious and gave everything he got.

0:2 for Echizen.

For all his skill Fuji couldn't keep up with Echizen, it was obvious in Tezuka's eyes. The younger teen was not only faster but his moves were somewhat nearly impossible to expect. The blue eyed teen had resorted to special moves only to have them countered after using them for the second time. The fila cap Echizen had worn was blown away and now lying in a corner. The green traces again pulled in a braid and spilling over his back and shoulders.

The match was breathtaking to watch but in the end it was clear who won. Fuji lost without taking a single game for himself and he had given everything; for he had never played like this against Tezuka. To everyone's surprise was Fuji still smiling as he moved up to the net to shake Echizen's hand. Tezuka was watching the two like a hawk, in the background he was dimly aware of the voices of Inui and Kaidoh.

_"Inui-sempai, he played with his right hand, only."_

Echizen had reached the net, his hand held out to shake Fuji's as the tensai grabbed the hem of Echizen's shirt and pulled the teen down for a kiss. Third shock of the day, the by now familiar _'thud'_ of Inui's notebook and strangled gasps. Tezuka himself felt somewhat numb. The nerve of him!

Echizen's racquet hit the ground and shook the teen off his daze. Abruptly the golden eyed teen pulled away, glaring at Fuji with those infamous glare of his, which had just gotten sharper over the years. Those golden eyes were still wide but Echizen was smirking again.

"You're one lousy kisser, Fuji-sempai!"

With that he proceeded to grab his racquet, the lost cap and started to collect the balls while Fuji stayed put, seemingly stunned. It was not everyday that someone insulted the prodigy like that. Tezuka stared at Echizen, was the teen suicidal? No one insulted the tensai without repercussions. Aforementioned brat seemed unconcerned at the moment. Calmly the balls were put into the box and he left the court. The long dark traces of hair were hanging in his golden eyes and he blew them out every few seconds before putting the cap back on his head.

There was a vending machine and none of them had to guess what Echizen did. Fuji, finally snapping out of it, reached for the remaining balls and placed the box next to the other one.

"It was fun."

Then Fuji turned around and left, leaving the rest of the former regulars behind in a somewhat stunned silence.

"Hmm, li data."

Kaidoh turned towards Inui, who apparently was back to normal and scribblind like there was no tomorrow. Nothing new there. Echizen's new height seemed to be a magnet for trouble as Kikumaru jumped him yet again. The teen took it with much more patience than they all would have expected until he leaned down to tie a shoelace. Gravity did it's work and Kikumaru ended on the ground, again.

"Shower."

Echizen didn't seem to address any of them, he simply turned around and headed for the lockers. He stopped as Momoshiro called.

"Yo Echizen, let's eat at McDonalds tomorrow. Gotta leave now, have a date with Ann."

Golden eyes twinkled with amusement before the teen nodded.

"About time Momo-sempai.."

That seemed to be the general clue to say goodbye for now as Oishi realized how late it already was. Their homework wouldn't finish itself on it's own. The meeting at McDonalds tomorrow was suddenly a second reunion dinner.

The youngest teen snorted quietly and muttered something that sounded distinctly like: "Che." He gave them a nod and a small smile before going into the club house, presumably to shower and change.

Kikumaru beamed and made an attempt to jump Echizen again, but failed thanks to Oishi's effort. With a pouting expression Eiji led Oishi haul him away. Momoshiro glanced fleetingly at the watch, that was tied to his tennis bag and blanched. He was late, only a cloud of dust was left of him. Taka scratched his head before saying goodbye. Kaidoh and Inui shared a look before leaving at a more sedate pace.

Tezuka remained, he needed to talk to Echizen to clear the situation. Perhaps even to explain himself. Breathing in and out he finally opened the door to the club house. This would be a hard, he had never been good in dealing with other's emotions and even worse when it came to his own. But running away was not an option, had never been. Besides it was shameful that he had run the first time around, but he had needed to think, had needed to realize everything. The situation had been too bizarre and impossible.

He closed the door and studied the interior briefly. The club house was divided into five to six rooms, complete with a small kitchen, a bar and sitting area. Two TVs were against the walls showing tennis matches and three vending machines were along the hall. Down the short corridor he could see the sign leading to the changing rooms.

Showtime…

Schooling his features into a mask of neutrality he stepped into the male changing rooms. Steam was seeping through the gap of the closed bathroom door indicating that Echizen was still in the shower. Tezuka relaxed a bit, talking with Echizen was very much like holding a conversation with Fuji, you never knew what reaction you would get. He just hoped that Echizen would understand his decisions, otherwise the coming years could get ugly.

The door to the showers opened and closed, Echizen stepping out with a blue towel around his hips and a smaller one drying his hair. Tezuka suppressed a flinch at the sight of the many hickeys that decorated the tanned chest, shoulders and neck; not to mention the rest of the young player's body.

He was really getting careless around Echizen, how else could he have forgotten that the teen would be mostly naked when he came out of the shower??

As quickly as he could Tezuka averted his eyes, choosing to study the tiles instead. Not that they were very interesting, a light green. Perhaps it would have been better if he had waited outside the club house. It was too late though and there was no use in crying over spilt milk. Keeping his eyes firmly on the ground he turned towards Echizen only glancing at him from the corner of his eyes.

Said prodigy was still calmly toweling his hair, the long strands were freely spilling over the tanned shoulders and muscular chest. Staying quiet he waited until Echizen had finished changing. The golden eyed teen had also yet to acknowledge him in any way or form. He didn't know why but was strangely unnerved by it. Perhaps he was meant to start the conversation.

"Echizen."

The teen was buttoning his shirt as he turned towards him, the golden eyes looking somewhat eerie in the dying sun light which streamed through the windows. He seemed to be as calm as the sea, which was unusual for Echizen. The younger player was never lively as Momoshiro or Kikumaru but he was on constant energy, that much Tezuka had learned.

"Echizen, we need to talk."

He didn't ask any questions on why, when or where, he simply nodded once and stuffed the racquet into his bag before indicating for Tezuka to follow him. And for once the former buchou didn't question, but instead followed silently. He stayed silent as Echizen bought himself a box of noodles and as they sat on a bench in a park. The noodles were not even half gone as Echizen spoke.

"You wanted to talk, so talk."

There was no coldness in the matured voice, but no friendliness either or any other positive emotion, not even the anger he had seen in those golden depths. Echizen's voice was frighteningly neutral and his golden eyes were no longer trained on his noodles but on him. Golden eyes burned into his own hazel ones as he forced himself to speak.

"I wanted to apologize."

One of those perfect shaped eyebrows rose towards the hairline in a manner that screamed: _why?_

"I apologize for my behavior at Atobe's party."

"What do you mean? Do you regret sleeping with me or that you ran away?"

In this very moment he hated Echizen, for being so casual and blunt about something that made his head hurt since he woke up that cursed morning. Abruptly he stood facing Echizen with what could be called an angry face, at least for Tezuka.

"Is that all you have to say?"

Echizen stayed calm, something he normally never did, because if there was one thing the teen didn't have problems with, it was making his anger and discomfort known.

"What else should I say sempai? I was stating the facts. Like it or not, you had sex with me and you were gone before I woke up."

Now there was anger in Echizen's voice and Tezuka could see that his shoulders were rigid with tension. Those golden eyes burned, as he stayed silent they darkened to the point of the color of a topaz. Then it was all gone, the tension left the thin frame and Echizen stood, the bag once again slung over his shoulders.

"There is no need to apologize. I'm neither a child nor stupid. Accepting your apology would mean, that I regret what happened. I don't. So is there anything else you wanted if not, I'll be going."

His hand had grabbed Echizen's arm before he even knew what he wanted to say, but of one thing Tezuka was sure, he couldn't let this stay between them. Not because it would affect their team work in the future but because he really liked the grumpy bratty teen. But how could he convey his feelings in words, how to explain that Echizen's mere presence calmed him more than anyone's ever had?

The answer was as obvious as it had been the first time. Though normally he would never make such a bold move.

Echizen's surprised gasp was muffled as Tezuka closed his lips over his.

Since 48 hours his nerves had been frayed almost to the point of snapping, unsurprisingly now, so close to Echizen, he felt the tension leave his shoulders while his mind and body relaxed. There was no question, this was what he wanted. Silently he wondered how such a little action could affect him this much.

How could Echizen affect him so much?

He wanted to pull away but the younger teen wouldn't let him go. Their lips had separated but Tezuka was held effectively held in place by a vice like grip around his waist and neck. When had the teen slung his arms around him? Giving a mental shrug he tightened his own grip on Echizen's slender waist. His head resting on the somewhat uncomfortable shoulder.

Tezuka wasn't stupid, they still had much to talk about, first and fore most about that night and the former buchou knew he would have to explain his behavior to Echizen. But he wanted answers from Echizen as well. Before that though there were more interesting activities they could engage in. Who in their right mind would after all turn down a chance to kiss someone like Echizen. With a inaudible sigh the young man lifted his head.

Echizen was watching him again, those golden eyes were focused on him in a way Tezuka had never experienced before, the sheer intensity was startling. Never before had he seen the younger one this focused, except when he played Tennis. Heat was creeping into his face and he wanted to turn away, but found himself unable to do so, one of Echizen's hands had cupped his face and the golden orbs were shining with mirth and unvoiced laughter. He frowned and decided to shut the dark haired teen up. The method was effective, Tezuka noted dimly. Echizen tensed, but after a few seconds he relaxed and closed his eyes. Kissing Echizen was exciting, not that he had much experience to compare. Fire was crawling through his veins and his body seemed to burn.

He pulled back as he couldn't contain his body's demand for air anymore. His chest was heaving as was Echizen's, a somewhat dreamy smile adorned his face before his tongue wetted his lips. Now that was cheating. Tezuka hissed slightly and inhaled forcefully while glaring at the oh so innocent looking teen. Said teen just smirked before creating distance between them.

"Have your parents anything against sleepovers?"

A questioning glance was enough to prompt a further explanation.

"My parents are still in the US. Karupin and I are alone."

Tezuka wasn't stupid, he knew what Echizen was suggesting. The mischievous glance and the smirk only enhanced the not so subtle invitation. But should he accept it? The reasonable part of his mind told him to forget about it and chide the teen for even suggesting such a thing, besides they both had school tomorrow, but on the other hand he still wanted to talk. If other more pleasant activities were possible, who was he to say no?

"I will stay until 11 pm."

That was the curfew his parents had given him. He had never fully used it though, even when they had been celebrating a victory or a birthday. There had never been a point in staying out so long, but maybe today he would make full use of it.

Echizen didn't look happy but mumbled a somewhat disgruntled affirmation before grabbing his hand and pulling him along. Complains were simply ignored. Tezuka had to use all of his willpower to make sure, that the amusement, he felt, wasn't showing on his face as the younger teen dragged him to his home. Who would have thought that Echizen could be this bossy… scratch that, Echizen was always bossy. After four minutes he decided to humor the younger one for now and let himself get pulled through the streets.

Tezuka never noticed the person hiding behind one of the many sakura trees.

It was only the second time he spent at Echizen's place. The last time had been for the farewell party as his companion had left for America two years ago and it had been one of his most bizarre experiences so far. Rather memorable were the dinner with the family, which somehow escalated into a food fight with Echizen Nanjiro as the culprit, as was the stack of porn magazines which had been hidden in a broom closet. The fact that Kawamura had mistaken the door for the bathroom was just a coincidence .

The result though had been rather interesting to put it lightly. Apparently Echizen's mother knew about the magazines but not about the phone numbers written on their backs. If Tezuka didn't believe in fidelity in a relationship he would have pitied the man, because for such a petite woman, Echizen Rinko sure could be quite scary. The end of the story was rather boring compared to the beginning. All of the aforementioned magazines were burned and the regulars left the party slightly hungry, which was remedied through a visit at Kawamura's. Echizen Nanjiro had been left behind along with his furious wife.

Somehow Tezuka still had trouble believing that this was really happening. He was here, in Echizen's dining room, barefooted with his shirt undone and stuck on his elbows. They were resting against the dining room table, one with a built in glass inlay and Echizen, the teen had taken to kissing his jaw and the general area surrounding it. His own hands were exploring the smooth skin beneath the shirt the younger still wore. Gripping the folds of the fabric, he separated their faces briefly to pull the shirt over the dark haired head. Now both their chests were bare.

They were both breathless by the time their lips touched again. Kunimitsu hissed as he felt his neck being ravaged. His partner was aggressive, not that he was really surprised, after all in Echizen's opinion attacking was the best defense. Instinctively he pressed his hips against his partner's body. It felt wonderful and as the younger teen responded it felt even better.

"E..chizen.."

Aforementioned person pulled his head away, earning a disappointed sound from Tezuka. He tried to pull Echizen closer again, but the teen kept a slight distance between them before he leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"I have a name.. Kunimitsu… why don't you use it?.."

"Echi…haa"

And then Ryoma pushed his pelvis against his own and he forgot his objections. Hissing he dug his fingers into the other's shoulders, his back arched and the table shook. Forcing Ryoma up, Kunimitsu pulled him in a passionate kiss. Aforementioned Tennis player repeated his actions until they broke apart, chests heaving. One of Ryoma's hands slid down his chest and slung around his waist pulling them even closer together.

"Ryo..ma.. the table.. I don't…"

_..think it will carry us both._

But before Tezuka could finish his sentence, he was, again, interrupted.

"I'll buy a new one…"

With that statement made, one hand snaked down and unbuckled his pants. It was an interesting answer and one only Echizen would give. Although he apparently saw reason because he pulled his hand away to grip his own instead, leading him into the upper parts of the house. He watched as a bushy feline, which Tezuka knew to be Karupin, was shooed out of a room, which certainly belonged to Ryoma. Dozens of tennis balls along with three racquets were placed against the wall.

Closing the door behind him he turned to face.. Echiz.. Ryoma. Aforementioned young man leaned against the and stared at him with a small smile playing around his lips and desire in his eyes. He silently wondered what Ryoma saw, when he looked like this: breathing still uneven, hair disheveled, glasses gone, pants undone and his chest bare.

Ryoma must really liked what he saw for he licked his lips. Then stepped closer and like two halves of a magnet Tezuka came forward as well. As they tumbled onto the unmade bed, hastily discarding the rest of their clothing, Kunimitsu could only form one thought before his mind surrendered to the sensations Ryoma evoked in his body.

_I'm going to miss curfew…_

Though as a pair of lips closed over one of his nipples he couldn't bring himself to care.

* * *

The sun had just risen and Ryoma had for once gotten up early. Dressed in nothing more than one of his many bed sheets, he sat on the veranda enjoying the first rays of the sun. In his left hands he cradled his cell phone. 

".. che.. none of your business."

The other hand was absently petting Karupin. The Himalayan had commandeered his lap and was now purring at every motion his master's hand made.

"Yeah, did you get them? I believe you have your eyes on someone, in fact did you not want the photos just because of that?"

A smirk blossomed on Ryoma's face as he heard the next question. Switching the phone to the other hand, he proceeded to tease Karupin by dangling his favorite toy in front of his face. The fluffy cat bated her paws in the air, hitting the toy every so often.

"He'd never believe it!"

Carefully pushing his cat from his lap Ryoma turned around. In the living room on one of the couches laid one Tezuka Kunimitsu, still sleeping. As with Ryoma only a bed sheet covered the naked frame. Sometime in the middle of the night both of them had wanted to gotten thirsty and had gone down into the living room, where both had drunk something. Minutes later their desire to be close to one another had gotten the better of them. Consequence was that they had stayed to continue their explorations of one another's body here in the living room on the old man's favorite couch.

"I'll go now. Bye"

Without waiting for an answer Ryoma cut the call, fiddled a few moments and then switched the cell off. It wouldn't do for him to interrupt them once Kunimitsu woke up. Leaving the phone where it was, he stood and draped his body over the one of his boyfriend. Glancing at the clock one last time he assured himself that they still had time until they would be late for school before closing his eyes.

The last 48 hours of waiting had been worth it in the end.

Ryoma fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Fin

* * *

**Author's Notes  
**

* * *

**Notes on Ryoma's height and character...  
**I tried to keep Ryoma in character, though apparently I changed a few things. One thing is the height because it's one of the few things I find, from a logical point of view, entirely unreasonable in the manga. If one looks at the heights of other regulars, not just from Seigaku, one will notice that they all are really tall. And compared to Ryoma they are giants, like Inui for example. He is at the age of 14/15 already 6 ft. It's not much different with the other regulars, which is odd. Momo is only one year older and look at the height difference. Because when you look at the rest of the freshmen, Horio, Sakuno and the others. They are, all of them, around Ryoma's height. Give or take an inch.. so what does that mean? Either all regulars, not just Seigaku, have been given growing potions during their attendance of junior high or are coaccidently all tall .. Fuji and Tezuka all were around Echizen's height in the flashbacks or the author is trying to show the difference between Ryoma and the other regulars through it.. I personally vouch for the latter. Which is then my argument for letting Ryoma grow 8 inches in two years... 

**Notes on Kunimitsu's character...**  
For Kunimitsu the characterisation was harder because in both Manga and Anime you only see one side of him. A side which shows him as a responsible, mature and grown up teenager.. he seems to be much older than he really is.. and he is also always solem and rarely smiles.. I wanted to show something beyond those sides we know from canon, because there has to be more. So I tried to make Tezuka look a bit more like the teenager I could imagine him to be. One who has trouble in dealing with his emotions and the resulting consequences. Not to mention that in the sidenotes of Takeshi Konomi wrote, that Tezuka actually hates getting up early. A last note on the names.. I have read many good Tezuka/Echizen stories before attempting to write my own and so far there often was something that bothered me. Tezuka is Kunimitsu's last name. I often read the combination of Tezuka and Ryoma, basically Ryoma is called first name and Kunimitsu, his first name seems to be forgotten. I wanted to change that as well.

**Notes on the wizard of Oz, taken from Wikipedia..**  
_The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)_ is a children's book written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago in 1900 and has since been reprinted countless times, sometimes under the name The Wizard of Oz. The story chronicles the adventures of a girl named Dorothy in the Land of Oz. It is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. Its initial success led to Baum's writing and having published thirteen more Oz books.  
Dorothy Gale is a young girl who lives on a Kansas farm with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, and her little dog Toto. One day a tornado appears outside and before Dorothy can reach the storm cellar, the farmhouse is caught up in the cyclone and deposited in a grassy field in the country of the Munchkins. The falling house kills the Wicked Witch of the East, who had established a reign of terror over the Munchkins.

So notes are finally over and here is a small omake for you, which hasn't made into the actual story.. enjoy and please write me review. because I can only get better, if you tell me what is wrong...

Hihana

* * *

**Omake**

_---at the same time as Ryoma is talking on the phone---_

"So, how did you two spend the night Echizen. Be free to give me a few details?"

Another person was already awake and enjoying the sunrise with a gentle smile playing around the salmon colored lips. A hand was caressing a photo held in the right hand. The image of a young man, drinking a can of ponta.

"Yes, you know that already. My compliments, you are a very talented photographer."

Putting the photo down, he took another from the stack on his desk. This time it showed the young man shirtless in the garden, still wet from bathing in the pool behind him. Licking his lips, Syuusuke Fuji opened his eyes.

"Say Echizen-kun, what do you think Tezuka will say, when he finds out, that it was entirely your idea to dress him in that dog costume and drag him to Atobe's party?"

Studying the image like one his beloved cacti before turning his attention back to the phone call.

"Is that so? What makes you so confident?"

But before Fuji could get an answer the brat cut the call off. Frowning a bit Fuji put his own phone down. The brat, cutting off the call like that and not answering his question. Though he shouldn't be surprised, it was Echizen after all. Then his cell rung briefly, signaling that he had received a message. A date was the only information enclosed.

Reading it, Syuusuke smiled and grabbed an orange from the fruit basket. The next 48 hours could pass fast enough…

**_Real fin this time…_**


End file.
